Hood fastener



Feb. 19, 1929. 1,702,506

C. R. HENNICKE HOOD FAS'TENER Filed June 30, 1926 Patented F eb; 19, 1929.

UETED STATES CARL R. HENNICKE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,

TUBING COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

1,702,506 PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO THE EBERHARD MANUFAC- HOOD FASTENER,

Application filed June 30,

This invention relates to latches of the type commonly employed on automobiles for holding the hood which covers the engine in place on the vehicle body. Latches of this kind are provided at each side of the hood and are of such nature that they can be released to permit the hood to be opened for ready access to the engine.

Heretofore various forms of hood fasteners have been devised wherein the fastener not only exerts a downward pull on the hood to hold it in place, but wherein means is also provided for simultaneously pressing against the side of the hood for preventing the hood from rattling when the vehicle is in motion. One objection to devices of this nature as heretofore provided is that they do not have suiiicient flexibility so that under conditions of undue strain, such as when the vehicle is subjected to a severe jolt, or the front wheel drops in a hole in the road, the hood fastener is damaged, the pins in the joints either sl'iearing, or the hood buckles loosened or broken,

The present invention has for its object to provide a hood catch of simple construction wnich possesses a high degree of flexibility whereb the Darts can ield under the most severe conditions without damage and wherein undue strains caused by the shifting of the hood when the vehicle passes over uneven ground will not cause undue strain and wear on the hood fastener.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved hood fastener showing it applied to a portion of a vehicle;

Figure 2 is a section in the plane of line Ill- H of Figure 1:

Figure 3 is a horizontal section in the plane of line IHI1I of Figure 1, showing a. top view of the lower portion of the fastener.

The fastener comprises a barrel 2 having a suitable head 3 on which is a downwardly projected extension or hook 4:. Extending into the barrel 2 from the bottom thereof is a stem having an abutment 6 at its upper end. Intel-posed between the abutment 6 and the inturned end of the barrel 2 is a compression spring 7. The lower end of the stem 5 has a head 8 thereon. The upper curved side of 1926. Serial No. 119,642.

the head 8 engages the lower side of an eye 9 of the lever member 10. The lever member 10 has a flat spring portion 11 which extends vertically, and which is adapted to bear against the outside of the hooc A, as clearly shown in Figure 1. Between the vertical arm 11 and the horizontal. eye 9 the lever member 10 is downwardly curved, as indicated at 12, to pass under the crossbar or bridge 13 of a base member 14 secured to the vehicle frame B.

The lever member 10 with its eye 9 and its flat spring part 11 is preferably formed from an integral piece of round steel rod, the portion 11 being formed by flattening part of the rod to the desired shape.

Secured to the side of the hood A is the usual bracket or buckle 15 having a crosspart 16 for cooperation with the hook 4 on the head 3. I

In Figure 1 the fastener is shown in p0sition to hold the hood closed. To bring the fastener to this position, the operator pulls up on the handle or head 3, compressing the spring 7 until the hook 4 has been raised sulficiently to permit it to be lowered into engagement with the buckle 15. When the hook 4 is so engaged with the buckle, the spring 7 is partially compressed, and consequently it exerts an upward pull on the stem 5. This pull is in turn transmitted to the eye 9 thereby urging the spring portion 11 against the side of the hood A.

In structures heretofore provided, it has sometimes happened that when the vehicle was given a severe jolt, as when it moves over uneven ground, the spring in the barrel would be compressed to its solid limit or height so that it could not yield to the entire extent necessary, Consequently the rest of the strain had to be absorbed by the joints of the fastener, with the result that either the pivot pins sheared off, or the abutment 6 loosened, or that the brackets 15 were loosened or damaged. With the present invention, under any condition of severe strain, the flexible upright extension 11 will yield, allowing the eye 9 to move upwardly and thereby impart resiliency to the structure even though the spring 7 be compressed to its solid height. Furthermore, by reason of the flexible nature of the spring portion 11, it resiliently presses against the side of the hood with sufficient flexibility to permit the hood to shift when the vehicle moves over uneven ground without undue wear or strains on the parts, and with the assurance that the parts will be held from rattlin While I have illustrated a preferred 6111- bodiment of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be otherwise constructed and embodied within the cont-emplation of my invention and under the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A hood fastener for automobiles including a lever element having a vertically eX- tending resilient arm having a spring portion between the ends thereof for engagemeat with the side of a hood, a pivotal mounting for the lever, a rod loosely carried on said lever element, and a resilient holding means carried on the rod.

2. A latch for automobile hoods comprising a base member having a bridge, a lever element passing under the bridge and cooperating therewith, said lever element having a vertical extension at one end thereof which is flattened to form a leaf spring, a stem swiveled to the other end of the lever, a barrel slidable on the stem, a spring operatively interposed between the stem and the barrel, and a hook carried by the barrel.

3. A. hood fastener comprising a base member having a cross bridge, a lever element passed under the bridge and cooperating therewith, said lever element having a resilient extension at one end thereof, the other end of said lever being provided with an eye, a headed stem passed through the eye, a barrel cooperating with. the stem, a spring operatively interposed between the stem and the barrel, and a hook member on the barrel.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand.

CARL R. HENNIOKE. 

